Advertisement
basketball Edit

RECAP: No. 4 Arizona wins 81-68 over Cal in first home Pac-12 game

Guard Courtney Ramey playing against Cal.
Guard Courtney Ramey playing against Cal. (Darryl Webb | Associated Press)

The Wildcats right from the jump looked rejuvenated from their upset loss at Utah with their intensity being demonstrated at a high-level through every dimension, dominating the winless California Golden Bears 81-68 Sunday afternoon.

"I knew it was gonna be a grimy game," Tommy Lloyd said. "I was on the guys pretty hard the last couple days and anytime a coach turns the heat up, you get some response, but you also get some guys that are a little bit tentative and they got to work themselves through it and we did today. So all in all, I'm happy with the way it turned out and I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow."

The Golden Bears and the Cats traded punches for the first four minutes, but after a steal by Kerr Kriisa and a three-pointer by Courtney Ramey Arizona took momentum, raising the crowd of near full-capacity McKale Center to its feet after going on a 9-0 run.

With three minutes left in the first half, Arizona turned to half-court press defense, a decision that would help lead a Cedric Henderson Jr. three-pointer and two blocks by Oumar Ballo and that would ignite the crowd as the Wildcats take a 42-33 lead to end the first half.

The 6-foot-10 forward Azuolas Tubelis had a bounce-back game, leading the game with 25 points going 9 of 18 from the field and recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 rebounds.

Tubelis scored 15 of his 25 points in the first half going 6-for-7 from the field in the first 10 minutes of the game. He had his struggles in the second half shooting 27% from the field.

Advertisement

Moreover, Arizona was able to limit the amount of turnovers against Cal with just five to the teams 19 assists. This has been an issue in prior games averaging 16.6 turnovers per game coming into the matchup against the Golden Bears.

The Kriisa- Ballo connection once again looked sharp delivering a plethora of high-low passes over the defender's shoulder for easier buckets. Arizona’s floor general finished with eight assists to one turnover.

Over the last two games Kriisa has racked up 17 assists to three turnovers. He is averaging 7.8 assists per game this season.

Ballo finished with 17 points going 7 of 10 from the field while collecting seven rebounds. However, he struggled from the line going 3-for-10 and is now shooting 54% from the foul line where he shot 70% from last season.

Arizona played more conservatively on offensive transition opportunities, taking the higher percentage looks instead of the 3-pointer that plagued them at Utah. This helped lead to a 49% field goal percentage, 6.9% less than the Wildcats' season average of 56% from the field per game.

"We shot 49%, I bet most teams in the country would be pretty excited shooting 49% and making 19-26 from the free throw line," Lloyd said. "The threes didn't go today but we have good shooters shooting those three point shots. All in all, the law of averages will play out I think in good favor for Arizona."

In the second half, Lloyd’s team switched to more of a pick-n-roll style offense, playing a key role in the success of the team's second half surge, scoring 36 out of the Wildcats' 39 points inside.

Arizona’s bench continued to be underwhelming besides the play of sixth man Cedric Henderson Jr., who accounted for seven more points than the entire bench combined. Henderson provided a crucial basket on the left baseline after a Cal turnover—leading to Cal having to use their second-to-last timeout with 5:45 minutes remaining in regulation.

Henderson scored 11 points going 3 of 5 from the field and shot perfect from the free throw line. He was able to collect four rebounds and a block in 18 minutes giving him a plus-minus of 15, making him the only bench player with a positive plus-minus.

"Tommy wants me to do the exact same thing I did when I started," Henderson Jr. said. "Run hard, rebound, make my shots, make the right play, come off a ball screen. I still played good minutes and I can't complain about it."

With the downward trend of starting forward Pelle Larsson spiraling at this point in the season, the question is starting to arise of the amount of more playing time Henderson should receive as a part of the first unit.

"His numbers maybe aren't where he would like them to be," Lloyd noted. "That happens sometimes. If Pelle is you my problem, then I probably don't have very many problems and in Pelle is not a problem. He's going to figure it out, he's going to have a great season."

Contrary to recent games allowing 79 points per contest, Lloyd’s defense was sharp, forcing nine turnovers winning 37-31 on the glass.

This defensive prowess was demonstrated more effectively in the second half, forcing six out of the Golden Bears' nine turnovers.

"The biggest thing was our gap defense," Henderson Jr. said. "If you go back and watch Utah, I think we were all facing our man, there was no help there was no talking."

Plus, there was a soul-crushing block by Ballo five minutes into the second half and another block by the big man the following Cal possession. Meanwhile guard Adama Bal did the little things by a drawn charge that fueled the fire for the Wildcats on the offensive end.

However, the Wildcats struggled to limit the inside looks from Cal, allowing 29 points inside during the second half. The Golden Bears lost the battle in the paint 46 to 34, but still, Arizona has room to grow.

Arizona will travel to Las Vegas to play No. 10 Indiana (7-1) in the annual Las Vegas Clash this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (MST), and will air on Fox.

> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona fans Inside McKale

> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel

> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattRMoreno, @THutch1995)

> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)

> LIKE us on Facebook

> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)

Advertisement